HHS Band to participate in state music conference

    HOULTON — The Houlton High School Band and “Off Beat” Percussion Ensemble will make a special trip to the University of Maine this week to participate in the 2012 Maine Music Educators Conferences. Both groups, under the direction of Joe Fagnant, will present clinics to conference attendees on Friday, May 18, starting at 9:40 a.m. on the Collins Center for the Arts stage.
    “This is quite an honor, as both ensembles applied to be part of the conference and were accepted by the Maine Music Educators Association board of directors,” Fagnant said.
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TO PERFORM — The Houlton High School Band and “Off Beat” Percussion Ensemble will make a special trip to the University of Maine this week to participate in the 2012 Maine Music Educators Conferences. Both groups, under the direction of Joe Fagnant, will present clinics to conference attendees on Friday, May 18, starting at 9:40 a.m. on the Collins Center for the Arts stage.
    In the first clinic, the band will be working with Christopher White, director of bands at the University of Maine. He will be using the Houlton band to show conference-goers how to develop better sounds through a consistent warm up procedure, covering various concepts. The band will have to adjust on the go as he takes them through exercises to show other music educators how to incorporate techniques to better their bands. The HHS band will also get an opportunity to perform a few selections on the Collins Center for the Arts stage.
    Immediately following the HHS Band performance, “Off Beat”, will provide a performance clinic to show attendees what a percussion ensemble can do to enhance a band program. The HHS percussion ensemble is a select group that has students with a percussion background or that have studied other band instruments. The group offers these advanced musicians an opportunity to perform entertaining literature while developing their own creative, unique style. “Off Beat” will perform a variety of material that covers three distinct categories of literature. The group will play full ensemble pieces with mallet instruments, three marching percussion pieces and several non-traditional selections. In the non-traditional pieces, the group performs using trashcans, plastic buckets, body percussion and even plastic bags.
    The Houlton High School Band represents 25 percent of the HHS student body and has a long tradition of musical excellence in the community.